


A chance at Meeting

by Lacertae



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Biting, Bulges and Nooks, Cheesy, Condoms, Frottage, Hair-pulling, M/M, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Riding, World Building was accidental
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:21:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3887356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacertae/pseuds/Lacertae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*DaveKat*</p><p>An overly indulgent DaveKat porn AU I felt like writing.</p><p>Dave is a movie producer with some regrets, Karkat is a writer that catches his eye one night at a party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to post this as a one-shot but then I realised 17k and counting was a little bit too long for gratuitous porn, so you get two-parts. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 01**

 

They met at one of the parties hosted by Dave’s sister.

In fact, it was not an actual meeting that went down.

Dave, cool and aloof, holding in one hand a glass of his favourite fancy cocktail while looking around the party hall, happened to catch sight of what looked like the only interesting person in the room.

That would be his official statement, but of course he kept a few details to himself.

First of all, his drink was not a real cocktail –it was instead just cleverly disguised apple juice in a fancy glass– and the cool and aloof part was just his façade, the one he reserved for situations such as this party, when all he wanted was to be elsewhere.

In short, he had been bored out of his mind, and in serious need of something interesting to do to pass the time without looking like he despised the company.

Dave was not one to refuse a good party, especially since he unfortunately had expectations to maintain about himself, but the circles of people the party catered to were not ones he cared about.

For the first hour or so, he had managed to keep boredom at bay because the caterer was one of his brother’s best friends, a rich entrepreneur who preferred to cook and cater in person rather than grow bored in an empty office. At this kind of party most of the guests barely touched the food, other than maybe an appetizer or a glass of fancy champagne, so the buffet table was almost a safe space for him; Jane was also a better conversationalist than many of the guests, but he was supposed to at least _look_ like he was making small talk with other guests. So at one point he had needed to excuse himself, leaving Jane to fuss around the food again.

After that, Dave had wandered aimlessly for a bit, stopping to talk with a bubbly troll he had met before, as they had been in the same archaeology course in college, and it had been a surprise to find her there.

Dave was glad he was not the only one who had put his career as a palaeontologist on the side in order to gather some resources first. The only difference was that Aradia (that was her name) kept going _back_ to the field, while Dave was stuck in a loop he couldn’t get out of.

Dave Strider, 29, was what certain circles called an undiscussed cinematic genius. He had a background of archaeology mayor in college with a minor in cinematography (amusingly the two things had not created any conflict in his studies, if only because his interests were so specific that following only one of them would have been pointless. Dave was easily bored and always had a hard time picking between two things he liked), and so far only one of the two subjects had been successful.

He had thought that he could focus on the field, much like he’d dreamed about when he was a kid, uncovering new skeletons and slaving in the heat of a desert while polishing dinosaur bones (ok, maybe he’d watched Jurassic Park one too many times, but so what? That movie was a real cinematography masterpiece), but reality wasn’t exactly what he had expected, even if in certain ways it was just as weird.

As end-of-the-year project, he had prepared a home-made documentary, a mocking piece full of ironic call backs and bad recordings, using all his skills and available technology to make it look like it was nothing but a subpar movie made with next to no resources. That would be his crowning moment of college, the movie that everybody would remember him by after he went on to become a palaeontologist, and something he could jokingly mention in the future while on aforementioned expeditions to dig dino bones.

He had everything down to the last detail –it was going to be _awesome_.

And then a critic (an old friend of his college professor, present simply because it was required of him to scope eventual promises in the cinematography field) had found his documentary and had thought it to be _fantastic_. A call out to the tackiness of the show industry and whatnot. In fact, even his professor –one of those grouchy, archaic types who never had a word of praise to offer no matter what– had been _enthusiastic_ about it.

What was merely Dave expressing with the last remains of irony his thoughts on life and his dissatisfaction at that time had turned out to be both his doom and his monetary salvation.

He had been offered a job the moment he was out of college; it was not the job he wanted –but it was one he _needed_. The truth was, to actually succeed in his favoured job career he would need contacts, connections and perhaps a generous patron that could pay his expenses, and for a student who was just getting started the future was not going to be rosy, not without some names to refer to.

With no funds he would not manage to do what he wanted. He came from a somewhat well-off family, four siblings arranged in two pairs of twins and parental figures to look out for them, but there were four of them, and while Bro had handled his college taxes and payments, as well as those of his other three siblings, Dave had known that his family did not possess the kind of income that he would need in his field.

His older brother and sister were both doing things they wanted to do, and so did his twin, and Dave wanted to excel just as well, and prove he did not need to ask his family for help all over again.

Dave wanted to succeed on his own.

With this in mind, Dave had accepted the offered job with the producers who had contacted him, thinking that through them he would be able to secure enough reliable connections to work with in the future, and return to the field he loved. It would not even be a fall-back, as he _was_ interested in movies and he was pretty good at it, shitty documentary aside.

That had been in the past.

Now he was 29, and much to the surprise of everyone involved (including himself) he had just released his first movie in the theatres, completely backed up and paid for, which had taken him over three years to produce. If someone had asked him back then if he believed he could do it, he would have laughed in their faces.

Truth was, the movie had started out as a complete, massive joke. Most of his ideas, no matter how ground-breaking, had been ignored by the people he had been working with, who expected him to produce a proper movie script, so in a bout of bitterness he had prepared a screenplay parodying a shitty webcomic he had created for fun in middle school. It had been a shitty little thing made in MSPaint that took a handful of minutes to create and that had gathered a good number of followers before he had decided to stop updating it (though sporadically, for the sake of good ol’ times, he still released a few specials). The script was a satire full of irony and zoom-ins and misspelled puns, and it was utterly ridiculous.

He had not expected his movie to be accepted and sent off to production, and he could blink it had been _made_ , with a few choice famous (but not mainstream, because “he was a new entry and he needed to build his entourage first”) actors playing strategic parts in it. Critics and public both had been enthusiastic, and not _ironically_. They had liked his movie, and the few who had flunked it still praised his ‘ingenious inventive’.

They legitimately loved that shitty movie.

His intention had been to be as outlandish and irreverent as he could be without downright insulting everybody around him, but… he had been taken seriously instead.

Success had never been more baffling, but it brought a certain degree of satisfaction that Dave enjoyed despite everything else. Also money. A lot of it.

Even Bro had congratulated him on the matter, although Dave was not sure whether he meant he was satisfied with Dave for his successful attempt at fooling people or just because he was planning to merchandize his movie and squeeze the ripen market for money. Possibly both, if he knew Bro.

Dave had not known what to expect from his movie, but a sudden increase in popularity had not been it. It meant he had to appear in public events as often as possible, interact with Big Names, and even appear on television, though he kept his interviews to the minimum and tried to keep an aloof, standoffish profile.

They expected him to talk about the movie like it was the crowning moment of his life, and Dave was left baffled by it all.

No matter what sort of controversy he created, or how much he spoke of his movie in bad terms, people would find a way to twist his words into the meanings they wanted, and even congratulate him on his attempts to joke around with the fans and induce them to think critically.

It meant being followed by paparazzi far too often, and gaining so much attention that it was downright impossible to do normal things, including ordering a pizza without it being printed in some gossip magazine, detailing his tastes for all to see.

It also ultimately meant he had to show up at parties, because it would be good for his career and his visibility, or at least that was what his PR had said on the matter; his only salvation came from the fact that during his rapid ascent to notoriety, he was not alone. His twin sister had made a name for herself as well, and she was one who did not mind throwing parties for the high society.

If he had to choose, he’d pick any of Rose’s parties over one catered by the production crew or anyone else from the movie industry.

His sister at least had a career he felt was legitimate. She wrote books, and those books were actually really popular, especially the series about a magical kid facing incredible odds –that one was Rose’s personal favourite, and as it seemed, so was everybody else’s. She had skills she wanted to exploit and they were for real, and he had never been prouder of having her as his sister.

Back to the situation at hand and into the midst of Dave’s growing boredom, Rose was nowhere in sight.

It was her own party and she was gone.

It was then, while Dave was glancing around and searching for someone interesting enough to push the increasing boredom away, that he had noticed a tall troll standing near the buffet table, perusing the selection of food with a very pleased Jane hovering in the background. The unknown troll, obviously following her suggestions, proceeded to take a couple of each appetizer, piling them all on the far too small plate he was holding.

That caught Dave’s attention, because Jane had worked hard to prepare the food but a lot of guests at parties acted like it would be a disgrace to eat more than a morsel or two, while also demanding for massive quantities of food to be present for visual appeal only. It was a great waste.

With a small grin Dave found himself watching the unnamed troll strategically place the food so that he could get more of it, checking each tray for a few seconds before adding one more piece of this or that, including some of the pumpkin mini-cakes that Dave favoured.

Yes, that was a good choice. He approved.

Apparently satisfied with his food picks, the troll grabbed a cup of punch with his free hand and wandered away from the buffet table, walking past a group of well-dressed journalists who tried to talk to him until he reached a corner of the room, where he sat down and started to eat.

Favourably impressed by what he’d just seen and by the avoidance skills the troll had displayed, and hoping he would not reserve him the same attitude as the press group, Dave straightened his back and headed to that very same corner, pausing next to the buffet table himself for another helping of those mini-cakes before flopping down next to the unnamed troll with a sigh.

The troll looked up, caught mid-chewing, and levelled him with a stare that made Dave shiver. This up close, the stranger was actually quite good looking –he was tall, even while sitting, with a toned upper body and muscly arms, slightly curly hair and a pair of small, nubby horns peeking from the top of his head. He was wearing a nice, grey suit that complimented him perfectly, accentuating all the right places, and there was a small symbol sewn on the edge of his shoulder. To Dave’s mild surprise, the symbol was also grey.

Dave swallowed thickly, appreciating the sight the troll offered without shame, entertaining for a moment thoughts that had nothing to do with the party and more with an hypothetical after-party tango.

Shit, the guy was _hot_.

“What if that seat was taken?” the troll asked, his tone a mix of polite and curious as he motioned to the chair Dave was sitting on with his glass.

Dave cleared his throat and broke eye contact, surprised by the other’s deep voice. “Well, I would graciously return the seat to whoever was here before me,” he replied with what he hoped was a cool smirk.

The troll snorted, but thankfully did not seem to mind his presence. He returned to his appetizer, apparently determined to ignore him.

Dave felt a wave of awkward silence threaten to fall on them, so he bit down on his mini-cake, gathering his thoughts to appear casual, and swallowed his mouthful. “Having fun?” he asked conversationally.

Not the best way to start a conversation, but he couldn’t be faulted for it.

The troll made a small sound which translated into a verbal shrug. “Could have been better, I don’t really know anybody here”.

Dave bit back on the cheesy retort he wanted to make (“you know _me_ now”), because no matter how hot the guy was, Dave refused to let himself fall prey to bad porn clichés. He had his standards, and bad pick-up lines were not the way he worked.

(Those were only reserved to fooling around with friends he didn’t feel the need to impress anymore.)

But fuck, the combination of the troll’s voice and good looks were distracting him and he cursed at himself for thinking like a sex-starved teenager; the guy was hot, but shit, his brain shouldn’t be so easily swayed like that, not even if it _had_ been a while.

“Well, if you stick to the corner you won’t get to know anybody,” he replied instead, trying to appear casual but knowing his voice sounded forced.

Rather than an angry glare, he got a small chuckle for his efforts, and that reaction made him relax a bit, feeling like his company wasn’t entirely unwanted.

“Well, I do know the host, and so does my moirail,” the troll conceded, sipping the punch with a small grimace. “They have been flirting for _ages,_ ” he added, almost as an after-thought.

Dave whistled, which startled his unnamed companion. “You’re Kanaya’s moirail!” at the troll’s startled nod, he chuckled. “Man, I have never seen Rose so taken by someone. Gotta hand it to her, if she makes Rose happy she has my whole unconditional brotherly approval… not that Rose would need or want it, but there you go”.

The troll looked at him with confusion in his eyes, and Dave realised, much to his surprise, that the troll did _not_ know who he was.

Instead of feeling disappointed, Dave felt a sliver of relief; he disliked being followed around by people who only wanted to praise his movie, especially when Dave had worked hard to make an obvious satirical piece and nobody had seemed to understand that. If this troll was only there because of his relations to Rose’s future girlfriend/matesprit, that earned him points. _So many_ points.

The fact that he was hot did not matter at all. Yeah.

“Ah, sorry, I’m Rose’s brother,” he lifted one hand in a salute, flashing the troll a small smirk, but the perplexed look did not disappear. “Name’s Dave”.

“I wasn’t aware she had any siblings,” the troll replied, then seemed to accept that nobody would claim relations to Rose that easily unless they knew her well, because he shrugged in acceptance. “My name is Karkat. Once these two finalise their quadrant, we might have to see each other more often”.

The words were out of Dave’s mouth before he could stop them. “Wouldn’t mind that at all”.

Karkat blinked, then observed as Dave’s cheeks turned crimson, and much to Dave’s embarrassment, a smirk slowly appeared on his lips.

“Oh, is that so now?”

“So, uuh, boring party huh?” for a moment forgetting the usual aplomb he had when dealing with strangers, Dave grasped for something to say while he tried to force the blush to disappear.

Smooth. Really smooth.

Karkat observed him for a second, giving Dave the feeling he was looking right through him, then shrugged and seemed to accept the change in subject. “Not any more than every other party I’ve been to lately,” he replied. “Unfortunately the choice of guests is limited, and very few seem to have a brain evolved enough for casual chatting, let’s not even mention an _actual conversation_ ”.

Dave found himself nodding along, though his eyebrow rose above the rim of his shades and he tilted his head to the side almost in askance, a carefree smirk which prompted Karkat to continue, “present company notwithstanding, of course”.

“Of course,” he agreed, though his smirk widened. “But don’t be so quick to write me off the book man, you might be shocked at how good I play the part,” he added, teasing.

“Oh wouldn’t I know,” Karkat replied bluntly, but he was still smiling and it was clear he was holding up the joke just as much as Dave was. “I’m used to being surrounded by imbeciles, so I wouldn’t expect any less than footkissing pissbabies even here, and… well, you’d have to prove yourself otherwise, especially with the pair of douche-like aviators you wear in a dimly-lit room…” he did not even hesitate to add “wouldn’t surprise me to have you stumble around at least once, even with nobody noticing”.

Dave didn’t reply, because he knew the room by memory and even in the dark he wasn’t bothered by his reduced visibility, but accepted the jab with a wry smile. He could recognise harmless teasing when he heard it, and he had been the first to offer an opening, so he could not fault Karkat for taking it. He appreciated Karkat’s direct honesty anyway… it was refreshing.

Besides, this actually made him feel more at ease and he couldn’t help a soft snicker at Karkat’s colourful use of adjectives.

 “Hey, don’t diss the aviators, they’re my babies and how do you know I’m not wearing them for some serious reason? I don’t know, medical shit and whatnot?” he replied, teasing back.

Karkat looked at him with a pointed expression that said he did not believe one word of it, at least not when Dave made that face. “Are you?” he asked, tone deadpan but with an edge of curiosity, because he might believe Dave was bullshitting him but he was still not ready to completely dismiss the option unless proven wrong.

“Ahh, who knows?” Dave looked away and to the crowd of people still surrounding them, and kept his tone light and teasing.

His reasons for wearing his shades were not something he’d offer to anyone who asked, especially someone he’d just met, no matter how hot Karkat was, but it also was not such a huge thing as some paparazzi seemed to make of it.

“I have half an idea to drag you around the room for the sole purpose to watch you stumble and try to appear like you know where you’re going,” Karkat replied, the smile now a smirk, but they were still joking around and Dave still wanted to slide on his lap and kiss him.

His brain was a one-direction train wreckage.

“I’d let you do that only if we stumbled over to the buffet,” he said instead, swallowing down his stupid libido like a champ.

Karkat was still looking at him, sharp enough that it was making Dave feel like he was under scrutiny, then he glanced away and snorted. “Fuck, yes please,” he shoved another appetizer in his mouth and Dave’s eyes followed the gesture, only to silently curse when the troll licked his fingers clean and swallowed. “It’s a shame nobody’s eating, they wouldn’t even leave the buffet table if they tried some of those mouth-watering heavenly morsels”.

Dave nodded, looking down at the half eaten mini-cake he was savouring one small bite at a time. “Shit’s like droplets of heaven made into food, carefully stacked into piles where we can feast gracelessly and stuff ourselves until we can move no more, surrounded by blind fools with no taste who don’t even _notice_. Well, more for us, shame on them,” he shrugged, good-naturedly. “You can still go for seconds”.

Karkat looked at him again, a teasing smile and a raised eyebrow –oh god, Dave was trying _so_ hard not to take that as flirting, but he kept thinking about it and he had no idea, but shit it made him feel like he had stepped on an electrified wire– and then brought the last of his appetizers to his lips, his tongue flicking out to remove some of the cream from its surface.

Oh, he _was_ doing it on purpose now, was he.

“Who says I haven’t already?” he asked, and Dave had to rip his eyes away from his lips to focus on his words, only getting what Karkat meant a couple seconds later.

“Smart move,” he approved, then decided that talking about food wasn’t the best option. “What do you do in life? I mean,” he fidgeted a bit, feeling like a clumsy teenager again, “we might meet often, right? It’s only fair we get to know each other”.

Yeah. Because Rose and Kanaya were going to be playing the horizontal tango, if they hadn’t started already, and Dave would get to see Karkat around more, right? It had nothing to do with Dave sort of wanting to do the same thing with Karkat. Nothing at all.

Shit, why did Kanaya have such a _hot_ moirail? And where did she hide him till tonight?

Maybe if they actually talked, Dave would realise what a tool Karkat was, and his libido would abandon ship.

Dave’s words had Karkat chuckle, and it was embarrassing how much Dave liked that sound. Karkat’s voice was deep and rich, with the undertone of alien sounds that made Dave want to sample it and use it in a music mix. It was the kind of voice you could get addicted to.

If it wasn’t for the shades which kept hiding a good half of Dave’s face from Karkat’s eyes, he would have tried to run away because he was pretty sure that he was making a fool out of himself. It was undeniable that Karkat was attractive, and maybe –just maybe– Dave had instantly found him to his liking, but this was just ridiculous.

Where was his cool as fuck façade?

Karkat’s smile turned almost wicked. “I am a writer,” he said, and Dave’s mouth formed a surprised ‘o’, as he hadn’t expected that. “You can actually say it is thanks to me that Rose met Kanaya. We frequent the same literary circles, though Rose’s books are far more successful than mine”.

Dave was quite interested to know what kinds of books Karkat wrote, and when he inquired about them, the answer took him entirely by surprise, as it was a series of books that by sheer chance was one of his favourite.

As was becoming apparent, Karkat Vantas, 14 sweeps and a half, did not write under his real name –he used a pseudonym, _Carcino Geneticist_. He had started to write in order to fulfil his own specific needs in terms of book quality that as it was, published novels did not meet, but had not intended to see his own stories published. Kanaya had been the one to encourage him, and when his first book had sold, making him realise there were more pathetic wrigglers out there who enjoyed the same things he did, it had been like a dream he had not realised he could have was becoming true. Still, he had decided to keep writing under a pseudonym, preferring to keep his privacy and not wanting to be shoved into the spotlight, so he had continued to write and publish books one after the other, gaining a certain amount of notoriety.

Of course that was not the sole reason, but the other was not one Karkat would readily share with someone he had just met.

His pseudonym also helped him stay away from most big events, and even though he did not tell Dave that, this party was the first one he attended to in the past three months, and that was only because it was Rose’s party, and Kanaya had asked him to be there, to have a mini-celebration for his newest book.

Karkat was unable to say no to his moirail, even when she ditched him and the party to go somewhere private with her matesprit –but then, who would blame her?

And then, right when he had been deprecating himself for choosing to attend such a boring, mindless event, he’d been approached by Dave –who admittedly looked like a douche (a pretty hot douche but still a douche). Karkat had braced himself for the worst –there was no way this kind of party ever had decent people– but was rather surprised to find out looks could be deceiving.

In fact, Dave proved to be a decent person so far, if their banter was to be trusted.

More than just decent, actually, and Karkat did not mind his company at all.

Floored with the fact that he was talking with someone whose works he _liked_ , Dave faltered slightly, his casual attitude now completely gone. He gulped down the rest of his apple juice, and for the first time in forever, he wished to have something a little stronger.

Karkat noticed he’d finished his drink and offered to get him a refill, only to watch as Dave seemed to get even more flustered than before, fingers clenched around the edge of the expensive cocktail glass and looking anywhere but at Karkat.

While the sight was amusing, it was also somewhat different from the flirty, chatty disposition from before, and Karkat felt like he was out of the loop.

“Did I say something wrong?” he was looking so earnestly confused and worried that Dave blurted out the truth without even thinking about it.

“It was apple juice”.

A blink and a pause, then, “What?”

“I… it wasn’t a drink,” Dave combed his hair with one hand, self-conscious and wondering whether he would ever be able to regain his cool attitude now that he had succeeded in making a fool of himself. “I don’t really drink alcohol, you see, so I had Jane give me apple juice in the guise of some elaborate drink to maintain my classy status, because this is supposed to be full of pompous, obnoxiously rich guys and nosy journalists out for a scoop and _of course_ I’d have to look the part and act all classy and shit, but wine honestly _tastes_ like shit and I don’t like to get inebriated so–”

Karkat blinked, honestly taken aback, and then–

And then he started to chuckle –a sincere laugh, chuckles mixed with raspy, clicking sounds, and Dave snapped his mouth shut, not sure whether to be just embarrassed or embarrassed _and_ flustered, because even when laughing Karkat still looked positively handsome. Dave’s libido had yet to change its mind.

“Shit, this is such fantastic _bullshit_ ,” Karkat stated, leaning forwards and giving Dave an appreciative nod, then tilted his head to the side, his wide smile softening into a grin. “Pretentious, but ingenious as fuck”.

“Thanks,” cheeks still aflame, Dave tried to look uncaring, but he failed spectacularly.

“No, I’m serious. I can’t stand wine and that’s all that was offered for the buffet aside for this punch,” Karkat glared down at his cup. “Typical high-class stuff you’d find at a party of this level, but there is no choice for those of us who don’t drink, so I wouldn’t mind if you could fix me something less elaborate, though perhaps not apple juice if possible”.

“What’s wrong with apple juice man, AJ’s the best,” Dave joked. Karkat’s acceptance did wonders to soothe his battered ego. “C’mon then, let’s get you a fix of some pretentious non-alcoholic beverage presented like a fancy drink”.

“Lead the way, and for the sake of my future drink, try not to stumble over for real”.

They stood up with a complicit smirk, Karkat brushing his suit to get rid of some stray crumbles, and Dave swallowed as he realised that Karkat was actually taller than him. With a body built like that, he looked more like a fighter than a writer; Dave was tall, but he was wiry and thin, his muscles more fit for sprinting quickly than for lifting weights, and it showed, especially next to Karkat. He felt smaller, and he caught himself admiring Karkat’s body for a moment more before he turned around, self-conscious about his obvious attraction for the other.

Karkat’s eyes fell to Dave’s figure as he turned his back to him, admiring the view without shame, then caught by a sudden inspiration he made sure to brush their shoulders together, trying to make it look like it was a casual gesture, not premeditated at all. Dave tensed up slightly, almost freezing, and that sealed it for Karkat.

He’d had his suspicions that Dave found him attractive (well, with the way Dave was acting, it was more like certainty rather than mere suspicion) and white the reality of it took him by surprise, Karkat could not say the feeling was not mutual.

Being on the receiving side of someone’s open interest, and one so clumsy and flustered at that, made Karkat feel… warm inside. It was a rather nice feeling.

Dave moved through the crowd, feeling strangely content. He had the company of a fantastic writer –no matter what Karkat said about himself– and he was also hot as fuck, and even if he’d fucked up so much, blowing off his careful cool persona, it was all good because Karkat hadn’t excused himself to leave yet.

Maybe he could still manage to make a better first impression.

Dave attracted Jane’s attention casually, pretending to talk about something else, and indicated the need for refills for himself and his new friend, adding a heartfelt compliment for both her food and her ability to mask proper drinks to look like snobby beverages. Jane chuckled and swatted his arm but winked and did what he asked, refilling his cup with apple juice fresh from a new bottle and then fixing some soda for Karkat.

Her work was flawless and discreet; she winked at them as they left, hands full of appetizers and deceitful drinks, and they moved towards the open terrace to get some fresh air.

It was early in the evening and the air outside was not cold, but the sky had darkened already, and the only light came from a lone streetlight down in the garden, specifically placed so it would offer a good illumination of the patio and the terrace above, and the lights coming from the party inside.

Dave leaned against the railing and placed the plate on the edge, picking one of the appetizers and chewing on it. Jane’s food was great, but he wished he could have grabbed more of it –the portions required to parties were minimal, bite-sized morsels that did nothing to calm his hunger.

“I haven’t seen Rose at all since the party started,” he told Karkat after a few more bites. “I can’t believe she left her own party”.

“Wouldn’t you do the same?” Karkat leaned at his side, and there was a weird sort of companionship between them that made Dave feel at ease. He shrugged. “It’s not like I was left to fend off for myself at a party full of pretentious shitheads while my own moirail ditched me to go who knows where”.

The way he said it was telling enough, and Dave wrinkled his forehead, unable to keep a grimace from his face. “Oh, _damn_ ,” he complained. “I didn’t need to know what my sister does in her spare time”.

Karkat snorted in amusement again, and Dave felt another small flutter in his chest.

“As if you wouldn’t do the same,” Karkat repeated, eyes set on Dave, and Dave felt a knot in his throat.

“I don’t–” he cleared his throat, because his voice was coming out a little bit high. “I have no interest for Kanaya, I swear, I mean she’s hot but she’s with Rose and anyway I wouldn’t… I–”

Karkat snorted, almost choking on what he was eating, and Dave looked away. Yeah. He was a complete fool and there was absolutely no way to jump ship –it was gone it was hit by a frozen ice popsicle and it was drowning and Dave was the captain, unable to leave because of his shitty pride. Goodbye Dave you will be missed.

He hadn’t realised he was muttering to himself loud enough to be heard until Karkat pressed one warm hand against his arm, effectively breaking his concentration and making Dave look up at him, startled; Karkat was still smiling, his shoulders shaking slightly in mirth, but his eyes were dark and burning and Dave was so very glad for his shades, even if it was hard to look at Karkat, though not hard anymore now since he had moved closer… shit, he was so _close_.

There was tension in the air now, and Dave felt it like a sparkle of electricity between them, but he resolutely ignored it. He knew he wasn’t unattractive, but this wasn’t a movie and he did not want to follow his gut instinct, which told him to just throw himself at Karkat and smooch the fuck out of him.

But shit, it was too convenient. Karkat was hot, and he was the writer Dave had wanted to meet for a long while, and he didn’t even know who _he_ was. It could be a beautiful no-strings-attached one-night stand, and yet Dave did not feel right to even think about it.

He wasn’t sure if it was because this was Kanaya’s moirail, or maybe because the idea of having just a one-night stand with someone he might see often left him with a bitter aftertaste. Or even because he perceived a single night with someone like Karkat as not enough…

Even then, wasn’t there some kind of bro code that said you could not fuck with your sister’s matesprit’s moirail anyway?

Despite all of this, what he wanted and what he should do were two very different things. He was a grown man, so instead of indulging his libido, he swallowed it all down again. Casual conversation with Karkat was something he could enjoy on its own, without the underlining sexual tension that probably was only felt by him.

Again, he convinced himself that talking more with Karkat would uncover something that could suddenly make him less interesting.

He was wrong. So very wrong.

It was almost surprising how much the two of them had in common, and just how easy it was to chat, like they had known each other for years. Dave found himself having a good time, and losing track of the time.

Having realised that Dave had a genuine interest for his series, which was a bit of an ego-booster for Karkat, they spoke briefly about them and about the motivations behind a few of the plot-relevant decisions in some of Dave’s favourite books, even if it was clear Karkat was a bit floored at meeting a real living person who enjoyed what he wrote.

After a bit, Karkat redirected the attention back to Dave, honestly interested to know more about him. Dave found himself talking about the movie he had scripted out of irony, and how so many had missed its point, even if he did not outright say what movie it was. He guessed that in another reality he could have enjoyed directing it, take pride in how people took it seriously, but he just couldn’t, not when his heart was elsewhere, in the mythical land of digging bones and living day by day.

He had fancied a job in the industry, that was true, but for movies that were actually worth watching, not parodies and satire that people would lap up without realising how bad they truly were.

There was certainly a lot of irony there, but Dave wanted something different. It felt pointless if there was nobody to catch on the irony, if everybody didn’t _get_ it. It wasn’t fun anymore, not like it used to be fun playing along with Bro when he was thirteen, being a coolkid with a poker face, acting like every action and thought had to be for pure irony. It felt weird because he used to think that irony was the focus of everything, that he could play a cosmic joke and laugh, but somewhere between then and now, things had changed.

It was strange to open up like this to Karkat, and though Dave hadn’t even meant to say half the things he ended up saying, Karkat’s expression never changed from one of deep interest and understanding. The guy wasn’t even faking it –Dave’s ramblings seemed to truly pick his interest. Because of that, once he started it was too hard to stop.

Karkat… listened like it mattered. He listened like he understood, even, and that made it easier. That, and maybe the almost certainty that it would not matter –the chances of them meeting much after the party, despite their mutual connection, were next to none. Dave could play pretend.

He had no idea how it happened or when, but at some point during their conversation, Dave realised how Karkat kept moving closer to him –from where he had been hovering, not too close to be annoying and yet not too far to be impolite, Karkat slid towards him inch by inch; after a bit, Dave could see his face even while wearing his shades in the dark, and then the casual touches started.

First it was an elbow brushing against him, then it was Karkat’s arm pressed against his own, and it was Karkat’s hand brushing against his arm, and his side, and his shoulder. Fleeting, short touches that made Dave hyperaware of their closeness.

Before he could even think about moving away –and despite his previous attempts and denial, he was pretty sure he did not even want to– Karkat got so close he was almost pressed against his side, staring at Dave with burning eyes, and the pit of heat in Dave’s lower belly rose to his cheeks again as he could not focus on anything else but their closeness, derailing his speech about… he wasn’t even sure what he’d been talking about anymore.

Dave’s hands held onto the railing in an attempt to anchor himself, and the cool air was welcome against his cheeks, as he felt like he was on fire.

He tried to find something else to talk about, because every lull in the conversation made him focus too much on Karkat’s body, on how Karkat was looking at him, and fuck if he wanted to just throw caution to the wind and just…

“Would you say this was a boring night still?” Karkat asked him, smug and curious at the same time, then added “because I’ll have to admit that Kanaya was right –I did get to see something interesting at this party”.

He tried to say something –anything– but his voice didn’t come out, lips moving without making a sound, and when his eyes fell on Karkat’s mouth his thoughts derailed; he could see a hint of his teeth peeking from his lips, and the sight made him swallow thickly, the desire to feel those teeth on his skin almost overwhelming. He blinked and looked up, meeting Karkat’s eyes, and his lips froze.

Karkat was staring at him, just as hotly as before, and again Dave felt like he could barely breath under that gaze, feeling its heat and knowing it was directed at him. He swallowed loudly and Karkat smirked, invading Dave’s personal space.

Dave’s ears were buzzing as he found Karkat so close he could breathe his cologne, and he let go of the railing with one hand when Karkat moved even closer to him.

They were suddenly so close, far too close, inches separating their bodies, and Dave’s brain registered the heat radiating from Karkat’s body, and how cold the railing was in his hand, and how if he let go of it now, he would not be able to hold himself on his feet.

One of Karkat’s hands moved to caress his cheek, the thumb sliding across Dave’s lower lip, and he had to fight the instinct to flick his tongue over it.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Karkat told him, voice purring. “Just thought I’d warn you. Is that ok with you?”

Dave’s brain tried to come up with a reason why he would not like that, and came up empty handed. The railing was still cold in his hand, but the heat around him was so heavy he felt lightheaded. “Hell yes,” he breathed out, unsteady. “Fuck, yes,” he repeated, just in case Karkat hadn’t heard him the first time.

Karkat pushed their bodies together, pushing Dave back until he had his lower back pressed fully onto the railing. They were even closer, they were touching now, their faces almost touching too, and there Karkat paused –not a hesitation, though. He was simply waiting, looking into Dave’s eyes.

Dave had to admit he hadn’t expected to find himself wanting for Karkat to fucking move already, erase the few inches that still separated them to kiss the fuck out of him, but he would not complain. And since Karkat was not doing it, he did it himself –he leaned forwards, tilted his head up just a little, and pressed his lips against Karkat’s ones.

He had enough time to see the glint in his eyes before Karkat was kissing him back.

Dave felt one hand slide around his waist, tugging him away from the railing and fully against Karkat’s chest, and then another hand joined the first, moving up from his shoulders and into his hair, cupping the back of his head and guiding him back a little, and Dave exhaled sharply against Karkat’s lips.

For a moment he kept clinging to the railing, the last few scattered remains of his thoughts knowing that if he let go, he would have nothing else to hold onto, then Karkat shifted ever so slightly, lips parted against his own and a tongue caressing his lower lip, and Dave willing let go.

His arms hovered in the air, fingers flexed, then he moved them both to Karkat’s shoulders, feeling the muscles tense under his touch, and then there was just that –Karkat’s body against his own, hot and burning and firm wherever he touched, and their lips and nothing else.

The hand in his hair was massaging his scalp, the hand around his hips was caressing his back, and there was just so much going on that Dave felt every inch of his body react to the multiple touches, hot and on fire and with a spike of arousal making it clear that even that much was still _not enough_.

He needed more, right now.

Karkat growled, and the sound almost had Dave’s legs give in, a wave of anticipation flowing through him.

Of all the things he had expected to happen at this party, kissing a hot troll writer on Rose’s patio was not one of them, but Dave did not care.

Karkat’s lips were rough and demanding even as he set his pace, so slow and so overwhelmingly calm and so demanding all the same, mouth and lips and tongue and hands roaming around.

He sucked Dave’s lower lip into his mouth, nipping at it playfully, eyes still fixed on Dave’s face, retreating a bit and then running his tongue over it, then moving in to peck Dave on his lips again, tongue tracing their contours, asking for entrance.

Parting his lips, breathlessly trying to turn this teasing into something more heated, Dave pushed himself forwards, seeking out Karkat’s lips, but the hand in his hair kept him still, at the mercy of whatever pace Karkat was setting.

Karkat retreated again, the inches between their faces feeling like miles separating them, and stared at him again, waiting.

He was asking Dave to give him control, and Dave would have gone down willingly but he was not one to give in without a fight first. It was all part of the game.

The hand buried in Dave’s hair pulled at it slightly, eliciting a small gasp from him; Dave retaliated by shifting his hand from Karkat’s shoulder to the nape of his neck, putting some pressure there to tug him closer, but Karkat’s body was firm and unmoving, no matter how much Dave tried to get him to do his bidding.

The thought that Karkat was this strong, that he couldn’t even get him to move… Dave shivered, a full-body shiver, and then tried again, with the same result.

With Karkat leading the kiss, still sucking on his lower lip gently, tongue barely brushing past the edge of his lips, never really taking the invitation, Dave had to focus on something else, so he caressed a path down Karkat’s chest, feeling the smooth texture of the suit under his fingertips, while his other hand moved higher to the curve of his spine, then to the side, where he knew Karkat’s vestigial grub scars would be.

He had barely ghosted his fingers over that spot that Karkat growled against his lips, throat filling with a weird sound not unlike crickets chirping, only two tones off. The sound broke through Dave’s thoughts as he felt it vibrate into his chest.

Karkat’s hand, the one holding his hips, moved down to caress the curve of his ass and then gave it a firm squeeze, making Dave gasp and squeak out a surprised laughter.

 “Ffffuck,” he breathed, and Karkat moved in to lick the curse right out of his mouth, then moved away again.

It was hard to keep himself grounded. Karkat had upped his teasing it seemed, because he was still refusing to give in and kiss him properly, but now his hand was rubbing his ass through his pants, dipping down the curve to cup it and caress the soft skin where it connected with the back of his thighs, fingers running over the seam of his pants right between his cheeks, creating patterns that made Dave’s mind hazy with arousal and need.

They looked at each other, Dave panting and with his eyes half-lidded in pleasure and Karkat with a smirk on his lips but also obviously aroused, cheeks tinged with dark grey. A few seconds ticked by, and then Dave groaned, crumbling. “Please,” he mouthed, breathless.

The reaction was instantaneous –Karkat pushed him against the railing, making it vibrate against Dave’s ass and causing Dave to gasp and hold onto him, afraid to slip off the balcony, then tugged him away from it the next second only to push him against the wall instead.

The stones were cold against Dave’s back, and the suit he was wearing was expensive but thin, so he hissed and arched up and away from the wall, only to find out Karkat was there, towering against him and preventing him from moving more than a couple inches.

Karkat leaned down, his lips tracing lazy patterns down his chin and to the curve of his jaw, tongue flicking out to lick at the offered skin, and Dave pushed his head to the side, offering Karkat his neck, more than eager to let him do whatever he wanted to him.

“Oh, shit, _shit_ –”

Karkat’s hands were on his hips now, massaging his sides and tugging his shirt out of the way, and Dave had never felt his blood move south so fast ever before.

He’d had one-night stands in the past, casual sex escapades, but the kind of urgency he was feeling now had never been present before; there was a burning heat inside him and the feeling of Karkat’s lips on his neck, their bodies pressed together but unmoving, was enough to make him react. He was not easy to please, and yet his body reacted to the smallest things Karkat did, eagerly awaiting him to do more.

He could feel Karkat hiss and breath heavily against his neck, equally impatient and aroused, and the way he kept him pinned against the wall was telling enough.

Dave felt a small, breathless laughter bubble up to his lips as he realised that for all his attempts before, chatting with Karkat until then had been nothing but foreplay and teasing, the tension filling the air until they had both snapped.

Then there were lips against the curve of his neck, Karkat nibbling at his sensitive skin, and Dave pushed his hips up against Karkat’s groin, finding him hard and unyielding, and all of sudden nothing else mattered anymore.

He shivered and buried both hands into Karkat’s unruly hair, tugging at it, and knew instantly he’d done the right thing because Karkat growled louder, and instinctively bit down on Dave’s neck, making Dave see stars behind his closed eyelids.

His neck was sensitive –perhaps a little too much. As embarrassing as it was, he knew it wouldn’t take Karkat long to get him off if he continued like this, and that did nothing to calm him.

“Fuck, Karkat–”

Dave hissed, nails digging into Karkat’s scalp and scraping to curl around his small horns, trying to find an anchor as Karkat started grinding his hips against him, their groins aligned; Dave was pretty sure that like this Karkat could feel how hard he was, while he was met with a hard but flat surface.

Dave’s brain wasn’t entirely working, but he remembered only a split second later that trolls did not have hard-ons, and that they didn’t show they were aroused in the same way humans did, and that it didn’t mean Karkat wasn’t aroused, so he shouldn’t be disappointed.

In fact, if the small groans he could feel against his neck were any indication, Karkat was very much reacting to the situation, just as much as Dave himself was. Shit, Karkat’s little sounds vibrated right through his body, and he felt like a starving man in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

He couldn’t do much, swept away by Karkat’s actions, so he simply shifted against Karkat’s body, wanting to coax more sounds from him; he was rewarded when he touched his horns  again, the skin around the base sensitive enough that his fingers could elicit more growls out of him.

Karkat faltered, shivering and moving away from his neck, groaning softly as Dave pressed his thumbs against his horns, and Dave grinned, satisfied with himself.

He’d scored big time here, and he was going to drag more helpless, hot sounds from him and–

Karkat shifted against him, and suddenly there was a knee pushing between Dave’s legs, right up against his crotch, and Dave only had a split second to gasp before Karkat lifted his knee even higher. Dave found himself being lifted up from the floor, all his weight and pressure suddenly on his aching cock, and he slid forwards a bit, suddenly thrown off by the new position and losing his upper hand.

“ _Ah_!”

Karkat pushed his hips forwards, grinding his knee against Dave, and suddenly the teasing motions from before were nothing compared to the sharp contrast of this friction, right where he needed it.

Dave arched his back helplessly, his neck bare for Karkat to lick and suck, and the moans spilling out of his lips were unashamedly loud, his nails digging into Karkat’s hair as he was pushed more firmly against the wall, without anywhere to go and nothing to help relieve this mounting pressure inside him.

He needed… he _wanted_ –

“S–shit,” he gasped, swallowing and feeling Karkat mouth his Adam’s apple.

He could barely breathe, choking on the heat and the pleasure rocking through his body, and it was almost unfair how riled up he was.

The mouth on his neck continued its lazy patters, only seeming to focus on the spots that made him shiver, until Dave’s entire body was a trembling mess of heat and pleasure. His hands clenched and unclenched in Karkat’s hair, encouraging him but not daring to touch his horns again because this was already too much, and his eyes were close in a last attempt to keep the dizziness at bay.

He was… he was getting too loud, he knew it.

Words were spilling out of his mouth without control, whispers and encouragements and most of all Karkat’s name, his voice changing intonation with every moan.

Too loud…

“Ah–” he tried to bite down on his tongue to stifle his moans, because the party was still going and they were kissing and rutting against each other, only a few feet away from the glass doors that led inside, and _anybody_ could hear them if the music inside quieted down enough, or if someone were to peek from the doors or _worse_ –decided to go outside for some fresh air. It didn’t really work, because the idea that someone could find them only made him get louder. “Aaah… _hnn_ –”

The thought that he could get off like this, with friction and grinding alone, was intoxicating, but at the same time he didn’t want to let it end like this. It was too soon, it wasn’t _enough_ , Karkat was barely touching him, he hadn’t even gotten a chance to explore his body either, he…

He wanted to tug down Karkat’s pants and go to town with whatever Karkat would let him touch –nook or bulge or dear god _both_ – but he also wanted Karkat to rip his pants off and fuck him through the wall until he screamed and everybody found them like that, and he did not care one bit –fingers, bulge… _anything_ to get Karkat inside him.

There were so many things they could do, all of them equally enticing, but he was so lost within this that he knew he would not be able to move, not now.

He _didn’t want_ to stop, he _didn’t want_ Karkat to stop, he–

“Fuck,” he moaned, arching up when Karkat pushed against him again, sending pleasure straight down to his aching cock. “Shit, I can’t, I can’t, I need more, I–” Karkat’s lips were on his own again, and this time there was none of Karkat’s patience from before.

He slid his tongue against Dave’s one, turning the previous teasing pecks into a proper kiss, and refused to stop touching Dave, moving his knee just enough that Dave was left breathless by the double attack. Dave parted his legs unconsciously, jutting his hips forwards in a vain attempt to get more friction, kissing Karkat back just as hard, his grip on Karkat’s hair forgotten.

It was madness, because he was close, too close already, and he was basically riding on Karkat’s leg now, his fingers curling in pleasure as he could only take whatever Karkat was giving him, helplessly writhing and moaning into the kiss.

With an impressive show of self-restraint, he finally slid his hands down to Karkat’s face, cupping it, and pushed him away from his lips.

Karkat seemed to feel the change, because he allowed himself to be pushed away and he stopped moving entirely, breathing hard.

Dave panted and moaned with every intake of breath as he tried to regain some of his composure, grateful that Karkat had stopped, but it was harder to make himself stop, his hips jutting forwards on their own for more friction.

“Karkat… I think I’m going to…” he moaned again, a soft, keening sound, and his eyes fluttered close. He was close to giving in, really. “We s-should stop before I…”

If he’d thought that Karkat growling before had been hot, the low, rumbling sound coming from his throat made Dave stiffen, his cock pulsating with pleasure. Shit, he had a kink and he was going to die because of it–

“Do it,” Karkat groaned against his mouth, breathing hard and hot as he licked the contours of his lips. “I want to see you come. We can do more later but I want this…”

That was all it was needed; both because of Karkat’s reassurance that they could continue later and for his order, and Dave did not need to hear anything else, relaxing instantly against the wall.

He arched his back, aware that Karkat was staring at him, eyes blazing, and felt Karkat push his thigh higher, the curve of his knee sliding under his clothed cock, pressing up, and the moment of stillness broke again. Dave felt Karkat push against him again, pressing his leg against him, and this time he didn’t protest, letting himself go completely, knowing Karkat was staring and wanting to at least give him a good show.

It didn’t take long at all, not when he was still so riled up, not when Karkat’s eyes were staring at him without blinking, and then he was coming in his pants, moaning and gasping and saying meaningless words as Karkat milked him until he was spent and panting, slumped between him and the cold wall and finally falling silent.

Dave let his forehead fall against Karkat’s shoulder, shivering and feeling the aftershocks of his orgasm, unable to believe he’d just climaxed in his pants like a horny teenager.

For a few seconds he allowed himself to stay like this, feeling his skin tingle where it was touching Karkat –and that meant almost everywhere– then he shook himself and straightened his back, finding himself staring right into Karkat’s eyes.

He might have come already, but the heat of that gaze had not lessened, and there was an obvious flush on Karkat’s cheeks that showed how affected he was at what had happened.

Karkat slid his knee down, and Dave fell on his unsteady legs, glad that he had the wall and Karkat’s body there to hold him up.

“Fuck, that was…” he swallowed and licked his lips, swollen and bruised. “ _Intense_ ”.

The shit-eating grin Karkat offered him caused Dave to smile back at him.

“If you thought that was intense, just think what we could do if we had a room,” Karkat breathed into his ear.

Oh fuck, oh _shit_ , Dave knew that if Karkat moved away now he would fall flat on his ass and make a fool out of himself –more than he had already up until then.

There he was, acting like he was being swept off his feet by a hot as fuck stranger at a party –there was nothing more cliché than this, and he did not care one bit.

“We do, in fact, have a room,” he said, and he did not care one bit that his voice was shaky. Dave gave no fucks since Karkat was there. “Rose’s house is my house or some bullshit like that, or more like she’s got a room with my name on it and we’re going to fucking _wreck_ it”.

The smirk on Karkat’s lips turned wicked, and he slowly let Dave go, moving away from him and watching as Dave tried to keep himself standing.

“If you’re like this with your clothes on, can’t wait to see how you get when you’re naked, man,” Dave said, eyes roaming all over Karkat’s body –from his wrinkled suit and messy hair to his flushed cheeks.

Karkat patted his clothes, trying to make himself look presentable again, but the flush showed he was still pretty much there, and Dave was suddenly glad he had climaxed once already; they would have to go through the party room again to sneak away and get to the guest rooms, which were away from the party and would give them some privacy to be as loud and hot as they wanted, and if he’d walked through the crowd with a tent in his pants he would not be able to call it irony, not even for the press.

He had to envy the fact that aside for his flustered appearance, Karkat looked completely fine.

Yeah, fine as hell.

Pretty sure he’d just muttered that out loud –and wasn’t that usual for him to speak up his thoughts like that? Yeeep– he pushed his shades up his nose and took a deep breath.

“Lead the way,” Karkat told him, echoing the words from before, and Dave –in a much different mindset now– pushed the doors of the terrace open and slid back into the party.

He could feel Karkat’s hand on his lower back, a gentle reminder that he was still following him, a constant physical presence that promised a lot, and Dave just wanted to get away from the party and return the favour.


	2. Chapter 02

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I resurface, almost a year later, with the second and last installment of this pwp. I am sure there's something I needed to write here, but I don't remember it anymore.
> 
> First chapter edited a bit for tweaking. Second chapter hopefully will deliver something good. Please feel free to drop me a review, a kudo or maybe even both! (reviews, even one word long, are welcome and very much appreciated)

**Chapter 02**

 

Dave and Karkat’s footsteps echoed around them as they navigated the empty corridors of Rose’s house, Dave leading and Karkat following behind him.

A few times, Dave felt Karkat’s hand slide lower on his back, dipping down to give his ass a quick caress, and every time he did so Dave would falter and cast a quick glance behind him, lips pulled up in a smile.

His pants were sticky and felt uncomfortable, a reminder of how Karkat had been able to get him to come against the wall without even using his hands, and there was nothing Dave could do except hope his recovery time could hurry the fuck up –he had plans and he could think about nothing else.

It was obvious Karkat felt the same –his hand was hot against his back, and it moved down to insistently rub at his ass more and more often, only to slide back up when Dave leaned into it; every time he was left disappointed and he could hear Karkat chuckle behind him, the sound shattering the silence and making Dave echo it with a breathy laugh of his own. This… this was exciting, and hot, and it still felt like reliving his teenage years, all awkward exploration and anticipation and the excitement at not being caught while groping someone in public. He must have said something of that out loud, because Karkat’s laughter exploded like a bang in the corridor, surrounding them like a blanket, amused and full of mirth.

“You do talk a lot,” Karkat teased him, laughter still present in his voice.

“Comes with the full service here,” Dave tilted his head back and pushed his shades up, winking at Karkat before letting them fall back down on his nose. “This is what you get, no takebacks, no complaints”.

The hand against his back grabbed the edge of his pants and Dave found himself tugged back against Karkat’s side before he felt fingers trail under his shirt and up his back, caressing his skin. Karkat leaned forwards, lips inches away from his ear, and when he chuckled Dave felt the vibration like a bass against his chest. “You won’t see me complain”.

Dave swallowed, a shiver of anticipation running from the base of his spine up, and bit down on his lower lip to hold in a gasp when Karkat’s tongue traced the shell of his ear and leaving a small kiss behind the base of his ear before moving away.

“S-shit, won’t be long until I’m all ready to go again,” Dave muttered mostly to himself, hands coming to hold on Karkat’s forearms to hold himself steady. “Rechargeable party cracker, that’s me, popping like a first-timer once but tug my strings and wait and I’m loading back up, it’s gonna be fourth of July show, fireworks all around leaving you breathless at the sight–”

Karkat snorted, his forehead hitting Dave’s shoulder as his frame shook with mirth; Dave’s tendency to let his mouth run on its own was entertaining, especially since it did nothing to hide Dave’s anticipation and his desire.

“I’d prefer if it was you the one left breathless and moaning,” he said, his voice an octave softer and purring and full of promises, “Setting off the fireworks once to test them out was satisfactory, so the hands-on experience left me only wanting for more”.

Dave fell silent, but the hands holding on Karkat’s forearms tightened their hold, and Dave slid closer to him until they were flushed against one another. “No time at all now,” he said, and the urgency in his voice sent a spike of similar anticipation through Karkat’s skin.

They remained like that for a few more seconds, breathing hard and their bodies flush against one another, then they finally parted; Karkat watched, pupils blown in the dark corridor, as Dave’s hand moved to his ear, offering a delectable and inviting sight, lips tilted up in a goofy grin. Then the moment was lost, Dave turned around and started walking again, with Karkat following him right away.

The corridor split in two again. Dave hesitated for a moment before walking down the right end. He had planned to get Karkat to the room Rose had always ready for Dave, and where Dave kept a few of his things, but he knew it would not work –he did not have a double bed there, and the idea of cramped sex was not exactly arousing. So he headed towards the rest of the guest rooms instead, getting inside one of them and not even pausing to flick the lights on. The room was dark, but there was enough light coming from the window to see, and that was enough.

Instead of jumping on the bed right away, Dave dropped his suit jacket on a nearby chair and walked to the adjoined bathroom, wanting to clean himself up a little, and glanced over to Karkat so he would understand where he was going before he disappeared inside the bathroom, leaving the other alone in the unfamiliar room.

It took Karkat only a couple seconds to realise he did not care to be left waiting, so he muttered a quiet ‘fuck it’ and followed Dave to the bathroom; he was still high on adrenaline rush and lust and the idea of waiting in an empty room made the situation a bit awkward.

The lights in the bathroom were on, and Karkat was left blinking owlishly for a few moments, readjusting his eyes, then he was treated to the sight of Dave’s frame as the other slowly undressed in front of him, revealing his shoulders and back, fingers unbuttoning his pants.

Karkat swallowed at the sight, the wave of lust making his fingers tingle.

“Planning on taking a shower and leaving me behind to wait until I decide it’s time to leave?” he asked, old buried insecurities resurfacing for a moment despite himself.

He wanted this –it was dizzying how much he wanted it, but this was all new, and Karkat had no idea how one was supposed to act on what was, without doubts, a one-night stand. Dave jumped in surprise, not having heard Karkat come in, then turned around to stare at him, apparently at ease with his own partial state of undress.

“Fuck no,” he replied, and he licked his lips. He did not want to sound too eager or expectant, but Karkat had promised him things, and he _wanted_ them to happen. “Don’t misunderstand my need to get cleaned up from this mess,” he pointed at his groin, and Karkat found himself smirking, “for an attempt to stall. Playing with myself is fun, but… fuck, would that be a waste when you’re around”.

His voice was dripping with desire, breathless and tinged with something Karkat could only call awe, which was flattering and did nothing to calm down his own needs, but it did soothe his worries, and then they were gone. They both wanted this, and there was no fucking way they would stop now.

Karkat’s bulge was still writhing inside its sheath, wanting to be released and touched, and the sight of Dave, willing and ready to continue, only made it ache more. The guy was good looking –maybe not drop dead gorgeous but he was hot. He had a wiry frame and delicate-looking hands, and even more than that, he was _fascinating_. Karkat wouldn’t have tried to get into his pants if Dave had only been hot, but with the way they had clicked, his interest had only spiked up –and then Karkat had watched him come almost untouched, his back arched against the wall and face twisted in pleasure, and that was his downfall.

He wanted more than that.

He wanted to push him against the wall again, throw patience to the wind and have his way with Dave until they were both panting and sweaty and coming, and–

Dave seemed to realise what thoughts were passing through Karkat’s mind, because he shivered and straightened his back, finally undoing his pants and wriggling out of them in a way that had Karkat growl under his breath, revealing his hipbones and his boxers underneath.

“Like what you see?” Dave breathed, before dropping the last of his garments, his underwear falling onto the floor, discarded and unwanted. He did not look ashamed, even though he was not hard –not yet.

“What’s with the cheesy lines?” Karkat grinned amused, but his eyes were roaming all over Dave’s frame, and he did like what he saw.

“Oh, excuse me, I thought we were here to swap careless sexual innuendos… my bad,” Dave replied, wiggling his toes, then without even removing his shades he slid into the shower and flicked the water on.

Karkat snorted, shaking his head –really, showering with those shades on…?

The jet started with a hiss, hot water already steaming the glass panels of the shower, and Karkat was amused when instead of humming as he had expected, Dave started muttering to himself, voice barely higher than the sound of the water.

“Goin’ to get squeaky clean,” he heard Dave mutter, “Like a squeeze toy out of a factory–”

Karkat’s shoulders shook with mirth and he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the nearby mirror; his cheeks were burning a dark grey, his hair was mussed up and he looked positively flustered.

He swallowed down a bout of uneasiness again; he had never tried doing things on the spur of the moment, like this. A one-night stand, being so attracted to someone he had just met who was definitely ok with it and returned that attraction tenfold… what probably was even more surprising was that he went along with it, participated and wanted it, and he did not regret any of it. It was liberating, in a way. Instead of wanting to stop, he wanted to _continue_.

He apparently hesitated a moment too long, not sure whether to go back to the bedroom to wait for Dave or join him in the shower, because the door panels slid open to reveal Dave’s head and shoulders, already dripping wet with rivulets of water sliding down the curve of his neck and his Adam’s apple –hot and yet ruined by the sight of those stupid aviator shades fogged up and wet and still on his face. Karkat could not for the life of him understand why the sight made the hunger inside him grow stronger. “C’mon, let’s get wet together, big man”.

Karkat also had no idea when was the last time he had laughed so much while –before? During?– getting ready to have sex. It was pleasant. It did nothing to calm him down either.

He fumbled to get undressed, dropping his clothes on the tiled floor. He did not care to be seen undignified or needy, and he was still smiling, feeling that Dave’s comparison was rather apt –they were behaving like horny teenagers, and it was fantastic.

He was still chuckling as he slid into the big shower, and he found himself with an armful of Dave, who attacked him the moment he stepped inside; his body was wet and pliant, and Karkat allowed himself to be pushed against the wall of the shower. The cold tiles sent shivers down his naked back, and Dave’s lips were hot and demanding against his own.

The warmth of Dave’s body flush against his own was combined with the hot water spraying from above, soaking them in no time. Karkat lost himself in the feeling of kissing Dave again, groaning in relief when his bulge finally slid out of its sheath, oversensitive and wanting friction.

Their game of patience and teasing was good, but there were limits –Dave’s hands, caressing his naked skin and mapping all his hard curves with leisure, were only testing them further. It seemed like Dave was content with exploring him, and he relaxed against the wall, his bulge writhing between them and sliding up Dave’s thighs to wrap around his still flaccid cock.

This got Dave to stop his explorations and he parted from him, breathing hard and shaking his head. “Not yet,” he said, sounding as remorseful as Karkat was at not having him as close anymore. “But let me make it better for you”.

Dave fell down on his knees in front of Karkat, and the sight of him like this, hair wet and still wearing his shades, had Karkat shaking to contain his laughter even as he shivered in anticipation to what that mouth could do to him. He still had no idea how Dave could see with those wet, fogged up shades, though.

Karkat swallowed when he saw Dave inch closer to his bulge, then he groaned in dissatisfaction when all Dave did was lick and kiss a trail up Karkat’s thighs and belly, making him squirm in need. Dave had no desire to hurry, and lazily sucked a hickey on the spot between belly and thigh, ignoring the way Karkat’s bulge was squirming and curling upon itself.

“Fuck–” Karkat groaned, allowing Dave’s hands to come up from his knees to his thighs, parting his legs a little more as Dave continued his languid exploration of all the skin surrounding his bulge. “ _Dave_ …”

Dave breathed in through his nose, slightly dizzy with desire, and finally paused his ministrations to take hold of Karkat’s hips, not wanting him to thrust forwards, then devoted his attention to the squirming bulge; he could barely see it through the fogged and wet lens of his shades, so he finally pushed his aviators away from his face. He delicately placed them near the soap bottles on the side, so they would not get in the way with what he was going to do.

He allowed one of his hands to find Karkat’s fingers, removing them from where they were awkwardly pressed against the tiles and bringing them to his head. Karkat understood what he wanted and curled his fingers into Dave’s hair, giving it a small tug, and when Dave let out a soft moan, lips falling open, Karkat tugged harder. He searched for something to hold with his other hand but only met with the smooth surface of the glass panels.

Now that he could see Karkat’s bulge, Dave found his mouth watering at the sight. He had thought Karkat would be well endowed considering the rest of his body and he had been right; the bulge was not long, but it had a wide girth at the base and grew thinner towards the tip, and it was ridged on its whole length. Dave felt a vertigo of lust wash through him, his soft cock giving a twitch of interest.

“Fuck,” he murmured, mouthing the base of Karkat’s bulge, feeling the first ridge with his lips, and then parted his mouth and followed the curve of the bulge down to where it slid out of Karkat’s nook.

The hand in his hair gave a warning tug, and Dave swallowed down his lust, trying to focus on what was in front of him.

He wasn’t sure where to devote his attention –Karkat’s nook was just as inviting as his bulge and with the way the bulge was pushing the folds open he was able to see the genetic material already collected there, dripping slowly down his legs and tinging them red. He wanted to dip his tongue inside and trace its contours, lapping up the genetic material, but the way the bulge was writhing was almost hypnotic. In the end the bulge won out, so he ran a teasing finger down its length, careful not to let the bulge wrap around his hand.

Dave knew that he would not be able to take all the bulge in his mouth, much to his disappointment –he had a delicate throat with an easily triggered gag reflex, and no amount of training had ever been able to change that (immutable curse as it was, and Dave _had_ tried. He had tried _so_ hard). still, there was a challenge up ahead, and Striders _never_ lost.

Glancing up, he found Karkat staring at him in hunger, and the sight would have been enough to weaken his legs if he had been standing. Thankfully, he was already on his knees.

“Don’t mind me,” he said, lips twitching up in a half-smirk. “Just getting ready for the feast”.

He nuzzled the base of the bulge, lips barely parted, and felt it wriggle towards him, the tip already trying to push its way inside his mouth, but he did not let it, tongue flicking out to lick at the tip. He kissed down its length, lapping away some of the genetic material coating it, and delighted in the tremors of Karkat’s thighs and the way his hand clenched in his hair.

It did not taste like much, a little acidic due to the alkaline component of troll’s genetic material, and he licked his lips before sliding back up to the tip of the bulge, bracing himself as he opened his mouth. The bulge slid past his lips, not trashing but not staying still either, and Dave tried to control how much it moved as he swallowed around the length. It was thick against his tongue, and it took Dave all he had not to let his jaw go slack and allow the bulge do whatever it wanted. Part of him wanted it –wanted to feel it choke him as he sucked down on it– but he knew better than that, so instead he took one inch at a time, his tongue and lips tracing every ridge and bump as more of the bulge slid in his mouth.

Karkat’s open mouthed groan was loud over the water washing over them, and Dave felt a surge of pride swell inside him. The bulge wriggled around in his mouth, trying to push against his tongue to get deeper inside, but he clenched down on it and sucked hard, swallowing the mouthful of genetic material and feeling the bulge swell against his tongue.

He used the palm of his mouth to massage the base of the bulge that he could not get into his mouth, inching closer to the folds of Karkat’s nook and nudging them with his knuckles, only to feel Karkat’s muscles spasm under his fingers, clenching down on nothing. Karkat threw his head back and groaned in frustration.

“Fuck–” Karkat closed his eyes and took a shuddery breath, then forced himself to look down, admiring the way his bulge disappeared inside Dave’s mouth. Even from this position he could not see Dave’s eyes, as he was keeping them close and seemed to be getting into it. Karkat shuddered as he felt Dave’s tongue press harder on the underside of his bulge. Yes, he was _really_ into it.

Karkat had been on the edge for a while, and with Dave’s enthusiastic mouth working on his bulge, fingers caressing the folds of his nook, teasing him without actually getting inside him, he was getting close embarrassingly quickly.

He could not help it. Dave’s mouth was warm and pliant and when he sucked on the tip, and the thing he did with his tongue… it felt so good Karkat found himself breathless.

It was hard not to thrust into Dave’s mouth, harder still not to push his head down on his bulge, but by the careful way Dave was working on him, never swallowing past a certain point, made it obvious it would not end well if he did that. So he refrained.

Karkat swallowed down, avoiding the spray of water from the shower head, and tried to keep himself from coming too soon.

“Shit, you _do_ know how to use your mouth,” he growled out, unable to stop himself, and he was rewarded with Dave hollowing his cheek and swallowing all around his bulge, humming as he did so and letting one finger slide just past the outer folds of his nook.

It was almost Karkat’s undoing –he did a full-body shudder and even his bulge twitched hard, swelling even more in Dave’s mouth.

He gave Dave’s hair a sharp tug, and Dave moaned around his bulge, pulling back enough to take a breath even if he kept his finger where it was, idly rubbing the inner folds of Karkat’s nook.

“D-do you like it rough?” Karkat’s voice was raspy and breathless, but Dave was no less affected. He said nothing, but the finger slid another inch inside Karkat’s nook, and this time Karkat’s hips twitched forwards, wanting more inside and wanting Dave to do _more_ to him.

Still, Dave kept his pace even, working one finger inside Karkat but never pushing too deep, mindful of touching where he knew he would get the best reactions, and continued sucking and licking at Karkat’s bulge, feeling it thicken against his lips. He couldn’t help but imagine how it would feel inside him, and he shuddered, his other hand using Karkat’s hip as an anchor as he moaned around his bulge.

“Fuck– it feels so good…” Karkat groaned, legs shaking in his effort to keep standing.

It felt too good –release was building up inside him, heat burning its way from the tip of his bulge to the depths of his nook, every nerve in his body tingling in anticipation, building up with every stroke of Dave’s tongue, and with every careful nudge of his finger inside him…

The hand holding Dave’s head tugged him away from his bulge, and Dave’s eyes fluttered open as he allowed himself to be pulled away. He had been losing himself, the act of bringing pleasure to Karkat enough to make him feel good too, but the firm tug made him stop right away, mindful of whatever boundaries Karkat wanted to set.

He looked up, water dripping down on his face, lips and chin stained red with Karkat’s genetic material, and he was rewarded with Karkat’s flushed face, a wild look to his eyes that made Dave’s heart skip a beat and his dick twitch in response.

“Stop,” Karkat ordered, his voice shakier than he’d like to admit.

Dave licked his lips, feeling them swollen and bruised, then slid his finger out of Karkat’s nook, feeling the resistance it gave, not wanting the finger out.

“You ok?” he asked, voice raw, and licked the redness away from his finger. Karkat swallowed, feeling a spike of pleasure inside him.

“Fuck, you wouldn’t ask if you knew what you did to me,” he breathed out, hands shaking as he tried to calm himself.

“I’m pretty sure I do,” Dave eyed the bulge, wanting nothing more than return to it, but Karkat shook his head.

Karkat was only vaguely aware that he could see Dave’s eyes now –they were red, and Karkat had to idly wonder how he could have thought that any other colour would fit him, because none would be worth of the intensity of Dave’s gaze other than that deep red. He tugged Dave up by his hair.

Dave moaned but scrambled up to his feet, knees aching due to his position, and he stumbled flush against Karkat’s body.

“I have half a mind to return the favour until you’re screaming my name,” Karkat’s voice was only a fraction higher than a growl, and Dave keened, eyes wide and unfocused as he felt dizzy at these words.

“Nah,” he finally rasped out, though the longing in his voice was raw and open and conveyed exactly how much he wanted that, too. “I wouldn’t last at all… I keep picturing how your bulge would feel inside me and it’s been d-driving me crazy”.

“You’ll be the end of me, fuck–” Karkat swallowed, his bulge aching at the need to bury itself in Dave and fulfil both of their desires.

“Not until you’ve fucked me, man,” Dave babbled, hands trailing down Karkat’s chest, following the curves of his muscles and fat, but he did not reach his bulge because Karkat spun them around, and Dave was back against the wall, wet and pliant and shuddering as Karkat was right there against him.

When Dave felt Karkat’s bulge wrap around his cock, he did not protest anymore, jutting his hips forwards and moaning at how good it felt. He had been so focused on going down on Karkat that he had barely noticed growing hard again.

The bulge curled around his cock and squeezed it, and Dave keened again, half a moan half a sob leaving his lips as he wrapped both arms around Karkat’s neck.

Usually two bulges would twirl and curl around each other, seeking mutual friction, but Karkat enjoyed the difference in having sex with a human, and the stiff, hard length was still hot and felt good even if it provided not much friction by itself.

Besides, the sight of Dave squirming and writhing against the wall as he shallowly pushed against him was enough to make up for that.

“Shit, this feels good–” Dave moaned, tilting his head to the side, and Karkat leaned forwards, not one to miss an opportunity.

He mouthed down Dave’s neck, passing by the visible bruise he had left earlier, then picked another spot and nibbled on the skin, set to make another visible hickey.

It felt obvious that Dave enjoyed the attention –his dick twitched against Karkat’s bulge, and Dave curled one leg around one of Karkat’s, tugging him even closer.

Despite his desire to rush through, Karkat kept an even pace, his bulge curling and uncurling around Dave’s cock, squeezing and relaxing and then once more. Hands pressed against the wall to keep himself up, Karkat continued his work on Dave’s neck, mapping every inch of it and leaving in his wake red dots and swollen skin. Dave moved his frame to match the movements of his bulge, nails digging into Karkat’s shoulders, though not strong enough to leave any wound –troll skin was too tough for that.

Neither was silent, –Dave’s soft gasps of pleasure and the equally quiet moans for ‘more’, spurring Karkat on, were barely higher than the sound of the water falling on them, and Karkat himself was not exactly quiet either, growling and making sounds with his throat and thoracic cavity clicking sounds and chirrups filling the air around them.

After a while, Karkat traced Dave’s jaw with his lips, seeking out his mouth for another kiss. Dave opened his mouth right away, desperate and needy, one hand coming to hold Karkat’s cheek as they kissed, wet and slow and demanding.

Dave’s hand reached down between them, squeezing past their bodies and lower still, passing by where his dick and Karkat’s bulge were intertwined to caress the folds of Karkat’s nook, barely able to dip the tip of a finger inside. The instantaneous reaction he got was all he needed –Karkat growled and slammed him against the wall, hands coming to part his legs as wide as he could, leaving Dave open and exposed as Karkat’s bulge continued teasing him, every ridge making him twitch and gasp.

He still kept his fingers where they were, rubbing insistently at the wetness between Karkat’s legs. He wanted to get them deeper, drag out more sounds from Karkat’s mouth, but the position did not allow him to do that, fingers slippery with genetic material and unable to do much other than slide and massage the outer part of his nook and where it connected with the base of his bulge.

It was still enough to send Karkat wild, and Karkat had no qualms to wrap one hand around Dave’s back, cupping his ass and massaging it, one finger sliding down the crack, not doing much else than that.

Dave felt dizzy with lust, heat wrapped tightly around his throat, and with the hot water still falling on them, it was hard to breathe. “Karkat… please…”

He let his head fall against Karkat’s shoulder, opened his mouth and bit down hard on the exposed skin, knowing he would need to work hard on leaving a mark. Karkat growled louder, almost a snarl, and his fingers found a spot behind Dave’s balls and pressed down on it, not hard enough to hurt but firm so Dave could feel it.

Dave bit down harder, this time because the heat curled around him was getting worse –the spot Karkat was kneading made his whole body go weak, nothing like what the bulge was doing to his cock. It was like a deep massage, and it made Dave’s sight blur.

He was pretty sure he was drooling against Karkat’s shoulder, moaning with every breath, but he couldn’t make himself care. His own fingers went slack and he couldn’t do much but hold on as Karkat continued massaging his prostate.

He could see nothing past the expanse of grey skin of Karkat’s shoulder, and his fingers were tingling, and Dave sobbed and arched up against Karkat, feeling like he would burst if Karkat continued.

“N… no… s-stop…” he moaned, and Karkat stilled his hand instantly, removing it from Dave’s prostate gland and bringing it to his bulge, uncurling it from around Dave’s cock.

It took a few seconds for Dave’s mind to stop spinning, and he slumped against Karkat, breathing hard and trembling so much he was sure he would not be able to stand on his own.

“Are you ok?” Karkat asked him, voice husky but gentle, echoing Dave’s question from before.

“Y… yes. Fuck… yes,” Dave felt himself chuckle, tired and inebriated with lust and his body thrumming with energy.

He did not come, but he had been so close he knew he wouldn’t have needed much more to come again.

“I didn’t…” he moaned, still jutting weakly against Karkat, and what he meant to say was obvious. “I want…” he paused, panting, then chuckled. “Bed”.

Karkat nodded, pressing his forehead against the cold tiles, then hesitantly pushed his body away from Dave’s, watching him sway, but thankfully Dave did not fall. He used the wall to keep himself upright until he felt he could stand without doubling over.

His cock ached and pulsed, leaking pre-cum, and for a long moment Dave worried he would not be able to even get out of the shower, let alone reach the bed.

Karkat watched him, hunger in his eyes. He was not faring much better, his bulge curling around itself, needing to wrap around something, and he shuddered at how sensitive it was. Genetic material diluted with shower water was dripping down his legs, staining the bottom of the shower red.

“Can you–”

“Fuck, I hope I can,” Dave murmured, but he was still chuckling, shoulders shaking, and Karkat was struck again by just how hot he looked right then, wet and almost unmade.

“You look…”

“… hot, I know,” despite the situation, Dave still managed a joke. “It’s in the genes”.

Karkat shut the water of the shower, then slowly got out. there were fluffy towels on the side ready to be used, and he attempted to dry himself without getting any of his genetic material on the white fabric. He mostly succeeded, though some streaks still stained the towels, then he wiped his hair dry too, waiting for Dave to get out of the shower.

Dave resurfaced only a minute later, a bit more composed, and Karkat wrapped one of the still clean towels around his head, helping him dry himself. It was a point of pride when even this little contact was enough to get Dave to moan, his body driven forth by need alone, and neither spent more than strictly necessary to dry up.

They kept meeting each other’s gaze, bodies foreign to each other yet growing more familiar through constant touching. Dave tugged Karkat out of the bathroom, and Karkat slid his hands down Dave’s sides, feeling Dave shiver and arch up to him.

They rolled on the bed, Dave murmuring things too low for Karkat to catch, and Dave ended up on top, his lithe frame sitting on Karkat’s wider one; he slid one leg on each side and rutted against Karkat, head thrown back in pleasure, hands seeking to wrap around Karkat’s bulge, bringing it closer to his own need.

“Fuck, fuck, I need–” chest heaving, Dave slumped on the side, sliding off of Karkat to rummage through one of the drawers, where he knew Rose stashed a few bottles of lotion and lube.

Karkat was left sprawled on the bed, eyes wide, as he watched Dave return to his side. Instead of mounting on him again he spread his legs open, giving Karkat a good view of what he was doing, opened the bottle of lube with his thumb, and smeared his other hand with it.

“Do you want–” he offered, leaning on his elbows, but Dave shook his head.

“No,” he waved him off, urgent and panting, “wouldn’t last a minute if I had those fingers inside me. Just wait there and look hot as fuck and hope that won’t be enough to end it for me”.

Karkat flopped back down on the mattress, looking at the ceiling and taking deep breaths. The idea that Dave was enough gone that he could come just with that did not help Karkat calm down, so he pressed down two fingers to the base of his bulge, right at the edge of his nook, and pinched the sensitive skin, making sure to keep the touch light; the jolt of pain was enough to get him out of his own edge –it would be embarrassing if he were to come while he was sliding inside Dave, after all.

He dared to look at Dave, and all thoughts of calm were washed away at the sight of his fingers sliding inside himself, stretching and preparing him for Karkat’s bulge.

Looking away again, Karkat shuffled to the edge of his bed and reached out for the jacket he had placed next to Dave’s on the chair. He grabbed his wallet, and then the troll condom he kept in there.

“Seriously? In the wallet?” Dave’s voice sounded far less breathy now that he was allowed to be in control, and Karkat hoped he would finish with the stretching soon, so he could get Dave back into the breathless, moaning mess from before.

“Well, where do you keep yours?” he asked instead, not wanting to surf through someone else’s pockets without permission.

“Hnn–” Dave arched up a bit, and Karkat’s eyes moved down his body to the three fingers he was using already, and how flustered he looked. “Pockets,” he finally answered, and Karkat blinked, looking back up at his face. “Right pocket”.

Karkat rifled through Dave’s pocket and came out with a neon green condom packet. “Glow-in-the-dark?” he wondered out loud. “Somehow, that does not surprise me as much as it should”.

Dave chuckled, and then moaned, aware that he was grinding down on his own hand as he listened to Karkat’s voice. He might have a kink. “S-shit, this is enough,” he said, then shuffled towards Karkat on all four, tilting his head to the side with a shit-eating grin. “I remember someone who held me against the wall inches away from prying eyes… ain’t the one with an exhibition kink, dude”.

Karkat shrugged, trying to look casual even though he had to admit the thrill of having Dave pressed against the wall had fried the rational part of his brain enough that he had not thought about what would happen if anybody had seen them.

No, though –they were alone. There was nobody that could see them.

He threw the condom over at Dave, hitting him in the chest, and watched as he ripped the packet open, extracting what really _was_ a bright green condom from it, all the while smiling widely.

The sight actually made him shiver.

Karkat sat back on the bed, and ripped open the wrapper of his own larger condom, spreading the thin layer with his fingers. The consistency and texture of troll condoms were different from the kinds humans used, since bulges were not set in size nor girth nor in shape. While they had mostly the same function as human ones –reduce STDs and decrease their spread, as trolls did not reproduce the way humans did, as trolls were not mammals and their cycles did not end in ‘pregnancy’– they differed greatly. With practiced ease Karkat placed the flat part of the condom underneath his bulge, shivering when the warm texture was pressed against his sensitive organ, which then twisted and curled on its own around the elastic condom. Soon he had secured it in place around his length.

Once it was on, he could barely feel it, but he did feel its effect as the thin coating of sopor slime on both sides of the condom took effect, calming the wriggling bulge down.

It was good he kept on him the kind of condoms that trolls used when mating with humans, as trolls did not need to restrain their bulges, and in fact blackrom brands of condoms did the opposite, pumping them with a little more adrenaline to offer an increasing wild performance.

Still, a part of Karkat wondered how it would be to have sex with Dave using a normal troll condom, not one coated with sopor –how hot would Dave be while writhing under him, throwing his head back and coming as Karkat’s bulge moved inside him without restraint? How many times could he get him to come…? Karkat swallowed thickly. The part of him that had never done a one-night stand wondered what the rules were for that when the other party’s sister was his moirail’s matesprit. Did that mean awkward meetings every now and then, or possible repeats of _this?_ More nights spent searching for every spot that sent Dave wild… the thought sent a flare of desire coiling through him, but also a wave of uneasiness.

He decided to ignore it, as it had no place when he was getting ready to have sex with Dave.

Karkat shook his head and looked up, meeting the sight of Dave with his legs still spread open and his erect cock encased in a bright green condom.

“No way I could lose sight of it now,” he found himself saying, a smirk on his lips, and Dave snorted, mock-affronted.

“No way you’d lose sight of it any other time either,” he replied back with a cheeky smile. “Unless it shrivels and dies because I got blue balls. Man, that would suck,” Dave slid both hands down his body, caressing himself and looking at him with an intense gaze. “Good to know it _won’t_ happen”.

Dave advanced towards him on all four, sliding on top of him, and Karkat settled himself back comfortably against the mattress, a pillow behind his head. His bulge was writhing against his stomach, slower than normal but still eager and ready, and Dave hovered over him. Karkat grabbed the base of his bulge and guided it upwards, then paused and looked up, meeting Dave’s eyes.

“Ok?” he asked, feeling the heat from Dave’s body seep into his own and wanting nothing more than to sink inside him.

“Let’s knock this off,” Dave replied, and nudged down against the bulge, lifting his head up and taking a deep breath. “Ready for this ship to launch into the stratosphere, gonna see the fucking stars up close and burn”.

Karkat chuckled, but instead of taking the offer for what it was, he let his bulge free to roam against the inside of Dave’s thighs, watching as Dave gasped and jutted his hips down, groaning impatiently.

He shuffled, both hands pressed against Karkat’s ample chest. “Is this when you have me begging for your big, thick bulge, Mr Vantas?” he asked, cheeky and teasing and far too hot, and Karkat exhaled slowly.

“Not yet,” he grinned back. “But that might be soon”.

Dave lowered himself down to kiss him, lips messily meeting with Karkat’s ones, licking and nibbling at them but keeping just enough distance that Karkat could not kiss him fully, until Karkat lifted his head to chase him, locking their lips together. As they kissed, open mouthed and flushed, Karkat’s bulge squirmed past Dave’s cock and found its target, slowly pushing into Dave, undulating and inching deeper.

It was tight, even with Dave’s careful preparation and the generous amount of lube used, but the sopor coating the condom was not just on its inside. Dave groaned as he felt a cool sensation spread the further the bulge went, quickly replaced by warmth and by a tingling that made him the more sensitive to where his naked skin was pressed against Karkat’s body.

He spread his legs further, rutting mindlessly against Karkat’s body while he was stretched further, and Karkat kissed him to keep his attention away from the bulge in his ass.

Dave clenched his eyes shut, breathing hard. He could feel every inch of the bulge –the ridges spreading him, the wriggling tip sliding in and making it easier for the rest to get inside, the widening girth that filled him slowly, long and thick and burning, until he was so full he felt he could faint.

Unlike a human partner, which might have waited for Dave to be comfortable before moving, there was not this option with a bulge –it never did stop writhing, and Dave gasped into the kiss, a soft sound that was swallowed by Karkat’s mouth. The idea of being overwhelmed by the bulge’s movements only served to make him push down, wanting to get as much of it inside as he could.

“Fu–” he pushed away from the kiss to breathe from his mouth, a choked gasp as the bulge seemed to retreat before pushing inside him again, deeper still. “Oh, fuck – _yes_ ”.

Karkat groaned deep in his throat, legs shaking as he tried hard not to turn them around and shove Dave down against the bed. The heat surrounding his bulge was almost too much, and it had been far too long since he’d had sex with someone –it felt so good he moaned, echoing Dave’s pleasured sounds with some of his own.

Dave pushed himself up slowly, coming up to sit on Karkat’s lap, and he felt the bulge inside him nudge insistently around. There was already pressure inside him that made him keen, his prostate, already sensitive from before, now massaged constantly by the side of Karkat’s bulge, every ridge of it sending sparkles and heat through his body.

When Karkat’s hands moved to his thighs to hold him still Dave shook his head and guided them to his chest instead; Karkat groaned and nodded, fingers already stroking his nipples and the few scars he had down his front.

“Fuck–”

Every touch felt already too much, after what felt like hours of teasing and edging each other forth, and Dave felt his ears buzz with the blood rushing to his head. He was pretty sure he was leaking already, and he couldn’t stop the keening sounds every time Karkat’s bulge shifted inside him.

Sex with a troll was different, there was not much thrusting as most of the movement was done by the bulge itself, but Dave barely had the strength to hold himself up as it was. If he had not spent so much time building up to this, he might have felt embarrassed at how quickly he was losing it, but that was the furthest thought in his mind.

“We’ve barely started and you’re already going wild,” he could hear Karkat say, but his voice seemed to come from far away.

“Ah –as if you’d have… any room to talk,” he moaned, tilting his hips to get more friction to his neglected cock. “ _Hnnn_ … I need…”

Dave grinded down against Karkat, shuddering and looking down, and found Karkat looking up at him, eyes full of desire, hair ruffled and a light sheen of sweat on his skin. The sight was too much, so he closed his eyes, tremors running through his body, digging his teeth into his knuckles to stop the needy, keening sounds.

Displeased, Karkat tugged his hand away, and Dave’s eyes fluttered open again.

“Let me hear you,” and by the tone of it, it was an order. Dave could not resist and moaned again, praises for Karkat and his bulge spilling out of his mouth in breathless waves, followed by more wordless moans and Karkat’s name repeated over and over.

“Fuck,” Karkat threw his head back, hands moving back down to Dave’s thighs. How could he look so hot, when he could barely talk coherently? “Touch me,” he ordered Dave, and with a soft grunt Dave slumped down a bit, hands running down to the vestigial grub scars on Karkat’s hips.

Karkat arched up, hoisting Dave off the bed, when Dave’s fingers ran over the darker skin of his sides, pressing down closer to his belly where the nerves were more sensitive, right where the scars faded into intact skin.

Some of it was ticklish, but mostly it just felt good, and Karkat hissed and angled Dave’s hands with his own to get more pressure, guiding them to where it felt the best.

Dave was rewarded by Karkat tugging him down for another kiss, messier and more desperate than before, the heat between them building up faster now that Karkat was inside him, working Dave higher at dizzying speed.

“So good–” Dave licked and sucked on Karkat’s lower lip, dragging it with his teeth before following up with another kiss, muffled sounds of pleasure mingling with their heavy breathing. “Can’t…”

Karkat groaned, understanding perfectly what he meant. Dave slumped down against him, thighs clenching against his sides as he continued kneading against his grub scars and pressed his forehead in the crook of Karkat’s neck, licking at the skin before biting down on it, and Karkat’s chest rumbled with a deep growl.

Dave pressed flush against him was great, but Karkat wanted something different too; he slid one arm around Dave’s back, holding him by his shoulders, then moved one knee up to prop himself with one foot, rolling them over to the other side of the bed.

Dave grunted in surprise, suddenly trapped between Karkat’s wide frame and the bed, then he closed his eyes and arched his back, legs folded over and thighs parted to accommodate Karkat between them.

“Fuck _yes_ , fuck me hard Karkat,” he moaned, arms curling around Karkat’s shoulders, nails digging into his skin.

Karkat found himself staring down at Dave, and while the sight of him sitting on his bulge had been hot, this was even better.

He did not even need to thrust his hips but he did so anyway, mimicking the way humans fucked, his bulge sliding inside Dave and caressing his prostate again, and Dave positively wailed, his moan “Karkat… _ah_ –” fading in more wordless sounds of pleasure.

It was hard to think, and Karkat continued pushing his bulge further inside, aware that his nook was leaking genetic material on the bedsheets but unable to care a single bit about it.

Dave felt amazing –his body was hot and writhed on the bed, his nails dragging across Karkat’s back, his legs parted and twitching, there was not a single inch of Dave that was not burning up and looking and feeling hot to the touch, and Karkat felt the same, pleasure making him gasp loudly as he felt his oncoming orgasm coil deep inside him.

“Ah– _more_ , more– _Karkat_ please… _ah_ –”

Karkat had never had bedpartners that were this loud and chatty before, but he guessed he had never seen the positives of having one –it made him feel… powerful. He had reduced Dave in a puddle of need, and Dave was too far gone to even realise how most of what he was saying were just words of praise and encouragements. It made Karkat know he was doing something right, and that feeling spread inside him together with the physical pleasure, making him feel heady, almost like euphorically high.

He was burning –from where he was buried inside Dave to the tip of his fingers, now digging into Dave’s hair and tugging at it, and his lips were working on Dave’s neck again, teeth nipping at the already reddened skin, licking up salty trails to his lips, but the idea of muffling those screams with a kiss made him keep away.

Dave calling his name, arching up against him, wild and gasping…

“Fuck, fuck–” he gasped in Dave’s ear, his heart racing in his chest so fast he felt like it would burst out. “Are you–”

“Yes, yes, so close, please–” Dave’s hand slumped against the bed, then dug into Karkat’s side, nails digging into his grub scars and sending a jolt of pleasure mixed with pain through him. “Karkat _please_ I need…”

Karkat nodded, panting and growling, and blindly stroked down Dave’s chest, fingers reaching out for his cock, squeezed almost painfully between them.

The moment he wrapped his hand around it, Dave jolted up so abruptly Karkat thought he had already climaxed, clenching down around his bulge enough to hurt. “Please please pl- _aaah_ … please… _Karkat_ –”

Karkat hesitated for a moment, not sure how tight to hold Dave’s cock, then he brushed his palm down its length, tugging it and the condom down, the slippery texture making it easy to set an erratic pace, jerking Dave off and pushing his hips harder against him, his bulge doing most of the work inside.

He felt Dave seize up, legs curled up as far as they could go to allow Karkat more access to his body, both hands holding onto his sides, digging into his grub scars and making him groan loudly.

The burning inside him was spreading and Karkat gasped, his free hand sliding down to grab Dave’s thigh. He pushed it down, spreading Dave as far as he could go, and then he had the perfect view of Dave coming, lips parted in a scream, eyes screwed shut.

For one blissful moment, Dave felt the world tilt around him, his body burning and tingling, Karkat’s bulge pushing inside him and Karkat’s hand jacking him off, pushed into the mattress and held down by the weight on top of him, anchored yet weightless, then the next second Dave was coming.

The relentless massage of Karkat’s bulge inside him nudged him on without mercy, time ticking on as wave after wave of pleasure overwhelmed him, and then Karkat continued rubbing his prostate and massaging his cock… Dave sobbed, a choked, overwhelmed sound.

Every inch of his skin was sensitive and burning, and he rode his orgasm with a cry, coming dry once again with Karkat’s name on his lips.

He dug his hands deeper into Karkat’s sides, arching up against him, and felt Karkat jerk one last time, the bulge inside him twitching before going still as Karkat came, a loud groan rippling through him.

The ripple of pleasure Karkat felt as he climaxed had him freeze, almost forgetting how to breathe as he felt his orgasm spread inside him like a heat wave, his mind blissfully empty as the only thing he heard was his own heart racing in his ears and the loud pitch of Dave’s voice calling out his name in a breathless cry.

He slumped down on top of Dave, his body heavy and hot, and closed his eyes as he felt the last few ripples of his orgasm wash over him.

Dave panted and allowed his legs to go slack on the mattress, feeling heavy and sated and tired, body tingling in the aftermath and feeling sore already, but in a good way.

“Fuck,” he moaned, his throat raw and parched.

Karkat shook his head and attempted to slide off of him, but Dave kept his hands where they were and Karkat stilled, shivering as his sensitive grub scars sent another tingle through him.

“I’m heavy,” he grunted in Dave’s ear as his bulge slowly retreated from him, sliding out of Dave with a wet sound before retreating inside of Karkat’s nook.

He was not worried about his condom, as the material was biodegradable and would melt and wash away with the rest of Karkat’s genetic material.

“‘dun care,” Dave muttered, swallowing a few times until he could feel his throat again. “Fuck,” he repeated again.

He lifted one heavy arm and inched towards his dick, now flaccid, sliding between their bodies to grab his condom and tugging it away, not wanting to make more of a mess of the bed than it was already.

Karkat slid it out of his fingers, tied it with just one hand, and dropped it on the floor at the bed’s side with a careless flick of his wrist, prompting Dave to snicker.

“Classy, Mr Vantas, really classy,” he chuckled, shoulders shaking in mirth, and Karkat found himself grinning along, tired and satisfied.

“So,” Dave wriggled his toes, trying to get some feeling back to his feet, “are you always this good in bed or…”

“Oh my fucking God,” Karkat hid his face in the crook of Dave’s neck, amusement tinged with disbelief. “You did not say that”.

“Seems to me I just did, man. You’re the God of Good Sex, Mr Vantas, you have a magic bulge, it must be in your blood or whatever works with troll families, going through generations of little wrigglers like the great prophet of generations past proclaimed to the masses ‘ _thou shalt be good at dicking–_ ’”

Karkat was still laughing, but he did glance up at Dave’s relaxed, content face. “If this is your attempt at casual pillow talk I might have to agree with your earlier words, I shouldn’t have written you off the book… is it too late to go back and grab myself some more of those mini-cakes?”

“Well shit, Mr Vantas, you wound me, and here I thought you’d have your fill with this perfect Strider specimen–”

Karkat was laughing too much to listen anything else as Dave continued to ramble, but his voice was almost soothing, lower and raw after all his screaming, and Karkat found himself lulled by his tone, body warm and sated. No post-sex regrets whatsoever.

This was by no means one of those romantic endeavours he claimed to love, if anything it was the exact opposite, but it had been fucking good, and Karkat had wanted it.

Then, right when Karkat could have easily dozed off, Dave poked him in the ribs, startling him a little.

“Say, do you think you’re up for another go in a bit or…”

“Oh my God, what the fuck –are you for _real?_ ”

Dave stared at him, looking for all it was worth as serious as he had looked at the party, cool and aloof, then he broke into a wide smile. “Of fucking _course_ I am, and we’ve established just now that you’d tap that”.

Karkat groaned, hiding his face in Dave’s neck again, but he was smiling despite himself.

And he was not that sleepy anymore, either.

***

Resurfacing from sleep, Dave woke up with something insistently poking him on his shoulder, annoying enough that he could not wave it away to keep on sleeping.

His body felt heavy and languid, and it took him a few seconds to get his eyes open, and all the while he remained motionless in bed, lethargic and feeling at peace.

After what felt like forever but was just a couple minutes, he stretched and looked up, finding his sister Rose looking down at him. There was a placid, content smile on her lips, and when she noticed he was finally awake, the smile turned into an amused smirk.

“Good morning, Dave. Sleet well?”

He grumbled under his breath, not really awake enough to have a proper conversation with her, and scratched his itchy neck idly, only to freeze when a mere pressure sent a dull ache to his brain. “Uuugh…”

“I would be careful if I were you,” Rose said, the same cryptic smile fixed on her lips. “You might want to get some ice to put there”.

It took Dave a couple seconds to understand what she was saying, and even then he didn’t _get_ it. His body was buzzing pleasantly, heavy and tired, and it had been a while since he had felt this way. Possibly since…

Oh.

A quick glance to the side revealed the sight of the unfamiliar guest room rather than his own, and the bed he was sleeping into was also not his usual one. The double bed was empty aside for him, but there were crumpled blankets and sheets on the other side too, and a pillow askew.

Oh, yes. He remembered it now.

He had danced a complex, satisfying round of horizontal tango with Karkat Vantas, successful writer and one hell of a hot guy after an evening spent talking with him about everything and nothing. He had gotten fucked within an inch of his life, with one more repeat during the course of the night before he had passed out on the bed, well-fucked and spent.

Ohhh _yes_.

Now Rose’s knowing smirk made sense. He grumbled and tugged the sheets up to his nose, feeling somewhat bashful at the sight of his sister looking down on him after a night of wild sex in one of her rooms.

He was not embarrassed –sex with someone was nothing to be ashamed of, especially when that someone was Karkat Vantas, one of Dave’s favourite local writers– but he did value his privacy, and her smug look set him on edge.

Not to mention that –well, fuck. He had fucked _Karkat Vantas_. Kanaya’s _moirail_.

Shit, if Rose were to find out, he was sure he would never hear the end of it. He would be doomed, and so far nobody had created a time machine for him to retcon shit.

Well, not that he would ever retcon anything about the previous night. If anything, he’d like to have a second go.

“Did you have a satisfying night, dear brother?”

“What can I say,” he replied, faking smugness that he was not feeling, “end of the year’s fireworks, big bang of explosions, worked on that poor soul until there were stars in their eyes and staring in awe and admiration up at me…”

Rose rolled her eyes, “yes, of course,” she shook her head, then the smile returned, this time a little more natural. “So do you think you might join us for breakfast? You might be hungry after all your… prowess”.

Assuming that with ‘us’ she meant herself and Kanaya, Dave thought about it for a few seconds before he nodded. He was actually feeling rather hungry, and he knew Kanaya would not mind his addition. They got along pretty well, after all.

“Yes, do make yourself presentable, though it is not like there is much left to imagination considering you were not really… quiet, last night”.

Aware that this meant she had heard who had been doing the screaming and who had been ‘worked on’ the previous night, Dave felt a flush burn its way from cheeks to ears, and his it with one hand, lips twisting in an embarrassed grimace.

“Well, fuck,” he muttered to himself. He had thought that with the rooms so far from the party, he would have been free to do some… enthusiastic cheering as Karkat fucked him into the sheets.

Then he remembered that Rose had been conspicuously absent from her own party, and reconsidered his embarrassment, swallowing it down.

“Hope your evening was just as good as mine, since I did not see you from the start of your party yesterday”.

He watched from behind his hand as a blush similar to his own blossomed on Rose’s cheeks. “That is not the point, though yes, if you must know, I did,” she answered, sounding far more collected than he was, damn her. “I happened to have better company, after all”.

This, at least, he could totally understand. “Present people excluded, of course,” he told her, his blush receding.

“Of course,” and she winked at him, smiling again.

Dave did not care to know what his sister did behind closed door, but the happy glow on her face was all that mattered to him. Kanaya did make her happy.

She left his room, telling him she would wait for him in the kitchen, and Dave stretched and stood up, feeling his lower back burn and ache pleasantly as he stood up.

His clothes were neatly folded on the nearby chair, which brought a smile to his face. Karkat had probably folded them for him, picking them back up from the bathroom floor… what a gentletroll.

Part of him was glad to find Karkat gone, especially with Rose standing near the bed, but the other part of him was nothing if not disappointed. As he observed the rather visible bite marks on his neck, feeling a shiver at the recollection of how he had received them, Dave wondered how would things go from now on.

He could not stop thinking about how he had fucked Karkat Vantas –in itself, it was probably going to be his personal fodder for years to come. He had not lied to the guy when he had complimented him. He was a fan of his books, and not even low-key, which meant Kanaya had known, every time Dave had mentioned him to her and Rose during one of their encounters, that he was talking about her moirail… and she had never said a word.

It was impressive.

Even more so was the fact that Dave had genuinely clicked with Karkat. Past his books and his good looks –and how good he was in bed, holy shit– Dave had spent a good time talking with Karkat the previous night.

The idea that now they would go back to being strangers, at most maybe meeting once or twice due to Rose and Kanaya being matesprits…

He left the bedroom after tidying himself up, but he left his neck bare, as he had nothing to cover up and Rose had already seen his neck, so there was no point in hiding it.

When he entered the kitchen, Dave was in the middle of wondering whether his status as ‘Karkat’s one-night stand’ meant he could get a signed copy of Karkat’s new book. Then he looked up and froze mid-step.

“Dave, it is nice to see you again,” Kanaya greeted him with a warm smile. “Not like I was not aware of your presence, because I was. But I’m thankful I only did get to see you this morning rather than last night”.

Dave did not answer, as he was staring at the third person sitting at the kitchen table, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee, looking entirely too comfortable with himself. Karkat glanced up from his cup and flashed him a smile. “Good morning,” he said. “Coffee?”

Dave sent a quick prayer to the gods above that he had his shades back on, because his eyes were _wide_.

“I… uh…”

“There is no need for an attempt to salvage your reputation, Dave,” Rose told him, patting the chair at her side, “not when you were rather vocal when calling out dear Karkat’s name”.

“I’ll have you talk with my lawyer,” was the only thing that left Dave’s mouth as he flopped down on the chair, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring himself a cup. “Miss Pyrope will collect your statements later on today”.

Karkat’s look of surprise took him aback. “Oh, you know Terezi?”

It was then that Dave understood he was pretty much doomed.

***

Much to Dave’s relief, both Rose and Kanaya did not tease him further, and seemed content with eating their breakfast and talking about the party.

When they were done, they glanced at one another and left the room, saying something about getting ready to leave, so Dave and Karkat were left on their own.

Alone now, it took Dave a bit to gather enough courage to glance over to where Karkat was sitting, and when he did so, he noticed Karkat appeared awkward now that the two girls were gone.

There was a bite mark on the edge of his jaw, and Dave felt a wave of pride in realising that had been his doing.

This was awkward, though –they had shared a one-night stand, but both Rose and Kanaya knew, and Dave had not thought things out this far. Karkat being still around meant they could actually… what? Talk?

Dave bit down on his lower lip, nails digging into his thigh. He had been thinking it would be a waste if he and Karkat were to go back to being strangers, so maybe… “Uh…”

“I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to be caught with me in the same bed this morning, so I left earlier to have a talk with Kanaya,” Karkat interrupted him in a hurry, and Dave was taken aback by how uncomfortable he looked. “I thought about avoiding you,” Karkat continued, sounding sheepish but honest, “But I’m not that kind of person. I’ve never had a one-night stand before either, so I… I’m not quite sure what the protocol is for things of this kind,” he hesitated, then settled on glaring at Dave. “When you were talking about your movie, I thought you meant some sort of indie shit, not actually The Shit –I might be out of the loop, but even _I_ know about SBaHJ the Movie”.

And like this, the awkward air seemed to disappear.

Dave smirked. “I never lied about it, though –it’s really a shitty movie,” he said, shrugging. “Besides, I was too busy fawning over you to focus too much on my shit”.

Karkat seemed once again taken aback by his sincere praise, and then Dave felt it again –the complicity they had shared before, the weight tightening in his chest that this time had nothing to do with lust.

“So… what happens now?”

“You’re asking me?” Karkat gave him a look. “I can tell you what I’d like, though. I’d… like to see you again,” his voice wavered with hesitation, then gained strength. “Have an actual conversation that is not built on bullshit and rhetoric, at least –I wasn’t kidding when I said your company is by far the least shitty out of everybody I’ve talked with in the past month, moirails and joined quadrants excluded”.

Dave could not deny the weird flutter of something in his chest.

“Ooh, is that a date offer, Mr Vantas?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Strider,” Karkat leaned on the table, looking at him with sharp eyes. “Let’s get something to eat for lunch today, and see where it goes”.

‘Fuck yes,’ was what Dave wanted to say, but that would not be dignified at all.

“Fuck yes,” was exactly what he said, and instead of making things awkward again, it apparently was the right thing to say, because the fleeting relief on Karkat’s face was far too obvious. “I’m bringing with me your new book, I want you to sign it for me –shit’s gonna go on my blog right away. Will get my followers green with envy”.

“Hmm, I’ll have to think about it,” but Karkat was smiling, a legit warm, open smile, and Dave found himself thinking that maybe, just maybe, this could go in a totally unexpected direction and he would not mind.

Whether this meant he had gained a friend or something more, that would have to be seen, but he had a feeling things would go well, either way.

“Thai food?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Sold,” Karkat nodded. “Now get some fucking ice for that bruise, Dave”.

Dave was still grinning as he watched Karkat leave the kitchen, then he stood up and went to grab himself some ice.

Yeah. That was the start of something, alright.

 

 

 


End file.
